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Federal grant for disease outbreak prevention

The Minnesota health department will get more than $950,000 in federal grants to prevent disease outbreaks and healthcare-related infections.

A bulk share the funds come from the federal health care law. The remainder comes from the centers for disease control.

The funding couldn't come at a better time, said Kris Ehresmann, chief of infectious disease control at the Minnesota Department of Health. She said some of that money will save at least nine full-time positions that state budget cuts would have eliminated.

"By having these resources, we're able to continue to promote, maintain and encourage good public health," Ehresmann said. "We'd be losing the resources that we need to keep Minnesota healthy."

Other parts of the funding will help beef up training, laboratory equipment and supplies, Ehresmann said.